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Ivanka Trump to Become Official Federal Employee, Unpaid ‘Assistant to the President’

Ivanka Trump is getting an official government position to go along with her West Wing office in the White House, the NYT reports:

“I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees,” Ms. Trump said in a statement on Wednesday…

“Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role,” she said.

Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University, says Ivanka’s White House role raises concerns such as: “Do the rules apply on nepotism, on conflict of interest, on other kinds of regulations that employees face?”

Zelizer says previous presidents have relied upon children for input. For example, President Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter Alice frequently offered political advice, and George W. Bush often played an advisory role when his father, George H.W. Bush, was president.

But this situation is different because it appears Ivanka will be have an expansive portfolio, not just offer insights. She will not be sworn in, nor need Senate approval.